Naruto the Conquerer
by Zhelezo
Summary: Naruto leaves the Elemental nations. When he returns, it's with powerful skills and allies. But above all else, it's with rage. #Note, my first serious story. Let me know what you think! I'm happy for any and all advice/suggestions. Romance Ahead! Second note, due to some seriously good advice, this story shall be on temporary hiatus while i rewrite all but the first chapter.
1. Origins

Our tale begins with a man named Etsuki Takibana.

He lived in the land of fire, on the southern coast. In 30 years of life he never gave any thought to the mighty Ninja that warred within the lands, instead preferring to focus on his two great loves. Fishing, and the village he grew up in.

Fishing, swimming, traveling the water in a small skiff, and repairing said skiff. This was what preoccupied his time. He never caused trouble, never got married, and never did anything out of the ordinary. Until the day of his 30th birthday, when he decided to celebrate. The villager's gathered around and cheered as he left, a month long journey under Konoha ninja guard as he visited famous sites around the nation.

The high point of his journey was Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves. This was the ninja village of the land of fire, and the place where a monstrous demon fox had attacked six years ago. The monster had killed hundreds, before the greatest ninja in the village had defeated it, at the unfortunate cost of his own life.

Needless to say, the fisherman enjoyed the journey immensely. After living in the same village for so long, dependent only on the watery depths of the ocean for new sights, all that he saw amazed him. Ninja running across rooftops faster than the swiftest boat was commonplace for Konoha citizens, but it nearly gave the man a heart attack the first time he saw it.

He was nearing the end of his journey, on his final day in Konohagakure, when Etsuki came across something that would change his life, and destroy the elemental nations.

In the middle of the street, in broad daylight, a group of people were violently attacking something. There were dozens of them, some armed, others not, but all very angry. Etsuki had never seen the look on their faces, but the primal nature that rests within all of us did. It was bloodlust.

A cry somehow found it's way out of the mob, over all the shouts and curses shouted, and somehow found it's way to Etsuki. Normally someone like him would simply avoid the whole mess, but when he realized the cries were human he had no choice. For Etsuki was a moral man, and never in his thirty years of life had he even imagined a crime so horrible, so terrible, so monstrous, that it could warrant such a merciless attack from so many.

Entering the mob, the fisherman pushed, shoved and fought his way to the center. Some people punched him, but he ignored it. Because the cries had gotten louder, and he now realized they were the cries of a _child_.

Rage blinded him, his arm moved before he could control himself, and for the first time in his life... Etsuki Takibana punched somebody. Then again. And again. And again. Until he was through the mob, standing over the child. Somebody in the crowd swung, a metal pipe in his hand. Etsuki's arm bent in a way arm's shouldn't bend. But still he stood over the boy.

His bodyguards rushed to protect him, fighting through the mob as he did. When the mob saw the ninja pushing through them, they quickly broke and ran, the simple-minded parasites instantly terrified of individuals that weren't a defenseless six year-old.

Etsuki just stood there, above the boy. Blood ran down his arm, falling to the red dyed floor. There was a lot of it, too much of it. He feared that he was too late. Then the boy crawled to his feet, looking up at the injured man who had saved him. The boys cuts were gone, his skin unblemished. Several of his bones were oddly shaped, slowly moving back into place after their brutal breaking.

Etsuki wept. The man who'd lived his life in quiet comfort was gone, murdered by his first true look at the cruelty of man. All he could see was the young boys brilliant blue eyes, and a smile that was heartbreakingly contagious. He hugged the boy, embracing him as family.

The two spoke, then left together. Etsuki brought the boy to his village. It was a quiet few weeks, the boy brought a life to the quiet place. The village grew to love him as their own, but none more than Etsuki. He taught the child how to fish, and the boy quickly proved to be a natural. By the weeks end he could maneuver the skiff on his own. The boy was naturally curious, learning much and making friends with ease. He had a smile that captured everyone around him. It was the first time the boy had truly known love.

They were warned. Time and time again. But they loved this child who had nobody else. They would not turn him over to the people who treated him so poorly. They were his family now, the boy was happy.

After fourteen days the first incident occurred. Shortly after midnight, a house burned. It was late, and dark, and nobody knew what caused it. So nobody saw it for what it was. For another week the village was plagued by minor troubles, many related to fire. Then on the 22 day of the boy's stay, a man was found at the town's edge. He had been burned alive... From the inside out.

For another week things were calm, nothing too serious. Then came a night that would truly seal the fate of this land. As night melted into day, people arrived on the edge of the village. There were many of them, more than there were people in the village. They were led by a Ninja, who wore a metal plate on his forehead with a swirled leaf shape engraved into it.

More of the Ninja were in the crowd, but none as high-ranking as the leader. They demanded the villagers turn the boy over to them or they would be destroyed.

The boy hung his head, cried and whispered his goodbyes as he walked towards the mob. He was stopped by a hand, then another. Another and another and another held him back. The hands pushed him back, the villagers saw that the boy they loved was ready to give his life for them... And decided they could at least do the same for him. Every member of the village, man, woman, and child stood up.

They raised whatever they had, kitchen knives, fishing spears, everything they had. And they told the mob no. The boy was safe, nobody else would ever harm him. Their defiance enraged the monsters before them. These monsters had Ninja on their sides, they had nothing to fear from fishermen.

With a shout they charged the villagers. But these townsfolk fought like demons, rising up long after they should have given in. Each desperate to take one more with them to keep one more pair of hands from the boy.

It proved futile. No matter how fiercely they fought they were no match for the Ninja. The trained warriors mowed them down, they used powerful techniques to kill dozens with a single blow. Nobody could stop them.

The boy was crying once more, huddled inside of Etsuki's skiff. Etsuki had promised they could go on a long fishing trip to take his mind off the village problems. The tears were wiped from his face by Etsuki.

Blood ran down his shirt, a long slash crossing his chest, the cut so deep you could see the bone. He smiled, told the boy to be strong, then pushed the skiff out to sea. Pointing straight ahead, he told the boy where to go, directing him to the southern lands. Laughter was his reply, but it didn't come from the boy.

Behind Etsuki, the leading Ninja stood, his followers behind him. Etsuki smiled, for the boy was too far out to sea to be reached by men. The Ninja leader, the only one there with the rank of Jonin, laughed again. He revealed that he could walk on water, and that catching the boy would be childs play.

Etsuki turned to the boy he loved like a son. The boy cried for the stranger he loved like a father. Then Etsuki spoke to him. His words said, Etsuki Takibana, the man who was spectacularly unspectacular, did something never before done in the elemental nations. A simple man, with no shinobi training, killed a Jonin.

He smiled before he died, happy that nobody could now reach the boy.

Naruto sat in the skiff, crying for the father he'd now lost. Before he turned his attention towards the horizon, towards land he was unsure even existed.

"I will avenge you Otosan. It's the promise of a lifetime."


	2. Back in town

It was eight years, two months, and 17 days later that Naruto returned.

He was no longer the chipper, energy-filled boy he had once been. Naruto didn't jump up and down, excited for a new adventure. Eight years fighting to live in a chaotic wasteland will do that to you.

Standing on top of a small boat, Naruto landed on the southern beach of Konohagakure. The same beach where he had seen the most noble man in the Elemental Kingdoms die. The same place where he learned the lesson that he would come to declare as his Nindo. When you fight for what you love most, anything becomes possible.

The 14 year old Naruto carried himself like a warrior. He stared off into the distance, memories of the day he had left swirling through his head.

_Flashback_

Sweat poured down his face as Etsuki stared down the Jonin in front of him. He only had a single chance, one opportunity to save the child he had come to care for as his own. In his right hand he held a boning knife, the blade honed to a razor's edge. It shone in the sun as he swung wildly and frantically.

The Jonin just laughed as he dodged every swing with ease. He could have dodged all day long and not broken a sweat, but the demon brat was getting away. Reaching into his shuriken holster, he flipped out a handful of four pointed throwing stars. "**Lightning Release: Thunderous palm!**" Shoving his right hand forward, he threw lightning chakra into the spinning blades, blasting them towards Etsuki.

Untrained and new to combat as he was, Etsuki had no chance to dodge. Three of the blades ripped into his flesh, bursts of electricity cauterizing the wounds. One stuck his left forearm, cutting into the sleeve of his baggy shirt, while the other two were lodged in his gut.

Moving too fast to see, the Jonin kneed Etsuki in the ribs, a sickening crack sound filling his ears as Etsuki's ribs shattered. With a kick, the Jonin knocked Etsuki to the sandy ground, the blood from his injuries staining the soft white sands a murky red.

Then the Jonin began walking towards Naruto, excited by the opportunity to finally rid the village of the beast who killed his childhood hero, Minato Namikaze. Simply for fun, he fired a minor electrical technique behind him into the man who dared harbor the demon.

Etsuki found himself in a river of darkness. His wounds no longer hurt, and he was no longer injured. The waters were like a whirlpool, dragging him deeper and deeper no matter how much effort he fought them with. His head sunk below the waves and he thought, 'I don't want to die...' Then he lost himself.

Everything faded, all of his life melting away like snow. As one memory slipped away, the dying man grabbed for it, using all his strength to hold it. It was of Naruto, back before the village problems had followed him to the place where he was happy. Naruto and Etsuki had gone fishing for the first time. Naruto had caught a fish, and the boy had been so happy. But as the day dragged on, his happiness fell, until he moped in the boat. "It's okay Naruto. Everyone here likes you. We won't let the villagers hurt you again. I promise! And a real man always keep's his promises, so come on! Let's have some fun while there's still light."

Suddenly the peace of death held no appeal for Etsuki. His promise echoed through his head like a mantra, and he forced his head from the black waters that tried to drag him into death. The shinigami could not have him yet.

Forcing his eyes open, Etsuki saw that not a handful of seconds had passed. The Jonin stood behind him, about to head after Naruto. Forcing his injured body up, Etsuki swung the filet knife, sliding the perfect blade along the Jonin's legs. The blade moved through skin, sinew, and muscle, before scraping through bone, and the Jonin realized that his hamstrings were no longer connected. Falling to his knees, he turned to attack Etsuki, only to see the man no longer lying on the ground.

Before the fight had begun, Etsuki had hidden a certain fishing tool within his left sleeve. The handle of the tool had blocked a lightning-charged shuriken. Now he pulled the tool free. Almost a foot and a half long, with a wicked hook on the tip, was the upper quarter of a broken fishing gaff. Used for hooking large catches that couldn't be pulled in with a pole, to use one you needed both speed and strength. For twenty years Etsuki had fished with one, and the movement was so ingrained in his muscle memory that he struck before the experienced Ninja could counter. The blade pierced the Ninja's throat, the tip punched through the back of his neck, and both him and Etsuki collapsed on the sand. "Live your life Naruto. Live the life you've always wanted. Be free." Then the strain of life left him, and Etsuki willingly sunk below the inky waves, into the silent grasp of the Shinigami.

...

Waving aside those memories Naruto stepped from his boat, setting foot upon his homeland. He had many things to do here. Many changes needed to be made before the Elemental Kingdoms devolved into a similar state to the Southern lands. Whistling, Naruto summoned his five friends. The individuals came out of the lower level of the boat, and followed Naruto as he stepped away from the past, and moved to the future.

They moved in silence for the entire journey to Konohagakure. Whether they were leaping through trees, running through fields, or crossing worn dirt roads, not a single sound was made. Their leader was certain of the way, and they had never been to this strange land before, so they deferred to him. One of them, moving on Naruto's left, made a series of handsigns. Naruto responded with other signs, and so they continued their silent conversation.

When they reached their destination, they stuck to the treeline. Not one of them wanted to be seen before they were ready to reveal themselves. Naruto used hand signals to inform them of their missions, then left the safety of the treeline.

Walking up to the village gates, Naruto noticed how similar it all looked. Buildings in varied styles and colors filled the town in neat ordered streets, and overlooking it all was the Hokage monument. Carved into the face of a mountain were the heads of all four Hokage's. The statues maintained a silent vigil, watching over the village they had created.

Naruto felt a tear slide down his face. No matter how much he hated the people of this town, and their actions, he had always loved the city itself. It represented so much, so much more than anyone ever saw in it. Each building was unique, each the product of another's influence. Their were styles passed down by the Hyuuga, a family fond of long slopes, gentle curves, and hard edges. The Akimichi, with large blocky houses and flat roofs, perfect for fitting the most into the least amount of space. Even the Uchiha, with an odd love of overlapping tile roofs, had left a mark on the city. So many had put so much into this creation, that it saddened Naruto to remember how the citizens had behaved.

Stepping through the gates without making a sound, the guards Izumo and Kotetsu sat up in shock. "H-HEY! What do you think your doing? You can't walk in here at this hour!" Izumo yelled, while Kotetsu sent up a colored flare, a yellow light blazing in the sky to warn of possible danger.

Naruto stopped, looked them both over, and replied with a smile, "Long time no see guys! Don't tell me you've already forgotten the village pariah? I'm offended!"

Life may have changed Naruto, but nothing could remove that happy-go-lucky attitude.

Izumo and Kotetsu looked at him in confusion, wondering who the mysterious man could be. "What is your name!" Izumo called out, as Kotetsu readied a jutsu. These two might not be the most powerful of Ninja, but when working together they had a very unique skill. Their stalling tactics. They could stall anything below Kage-level until backup arrived, which made the two the best guards in all of Konoha.

"Naruto." Was a reply that stunned both of them. Kotetsu's jutsu died on his lips, Izumo just stared blankly in shock. "Now if you two don't mind, i'm off to see old man Hokage!"

Naruto waved at the two guards, then walked off towards the Hokage's office. Seconds after he left, a team of ANBU arrived. The team of elite warriors was instantly recognizable due to the red and white animal masks every member wore. Four individuals made up each team, and every member of ANBU was hand-picked by the Hokage. The four in this team were new members, but to underestimate their skill would be a grave and costly error.

There were three men and one woman on the team, the men's masks were Bear, Tanuki, and Lemur. While the girl wore a Mouse mask. Each wore the standard ANBU attire, to protect their identities and keep their abilities safe from enemies. The shinobi world was an endless shifting combat, today's friends were tomorrows enemies. Many Bingo books offered advice on taking down listed Ninja, such as counters to their abilities and such. So the ANBU's true strength lay in the unknown.

The team was quick to secure the site, with Bear, and Lemur standing guard while Tanuki searched for the trail of the intruder. Mouse began questioning Izumo and Kotetsu. She had a voice that was soft as silk, with average breasts and curvy hips. Her legs flowed on for miles, and both Izumo and Kotetsu struggled to maintain their professionalism with this unknown beauty before them. "Report. What happened, why did you send the flare?"

Shaking themselves from their ogling, Izumo and Kotetsu answered the ANBU goddess. "Well we were standing guard here when this guy walked into the city without papers."

Kotetsu nodded, "Yeah! He told us that he was offended that we forgot who he was. Then told us his name and that he was off to see the Hokage."

Izumo agreed, then added, "The guy's not a dangerous individual, but we sent up the flare because we felt that he might have been one."

Mouse smiled beneath her mask, it was always good to see grunts following the proper protocol. Too few guards sent out flares when protocol dictated. Something about their pride. Most would simply attack their enemy, without even thinking to signal for backup. It was nice to see someone care more for the village and their lives than their pride. Mouse only had one more question. "So what was the name of this individual?"

Izumo and Kotetsu replied at the same time. When they did, the ANBU woman vanished with an excited squee that echoed through the village.

...

Sweat dripped from the elderly Hokage's brow, and pain ripped through his body like a lightning-style attack, as he matched wits with his greatest enemy.

But the paperwork pile seemed to somehow grow, mocking his feeble attempt to destroy it. Sarutobi rubbed his arthritic hands, freeing them from the cramps that came with spending hours and hours notifying and annotating the various papers that allowed the village to run like it did. It was times like these he wished he was the kage of Sunagakure. After all, paperwork was awfully difficult to come up with in a giant desert.

Outside he saw that it was pitch black, the very dead of night. The sun would arrive in five or six hours, and he would need to be ready to face another long day of sitting in the office doing paperwork. 'Just another hour of this, then I'll head off to bed.' he thought, before a ghost stepped into his office.

'Sonofa- If it isn't one thing it's another.' Sarutobi mused, wondering if he was finally going senile. First his paperwork pile seemed to grow on it's own, then the ghost of his greatest failure hopped in through the window. But wait. That couldn't be right. Naruto hadn't looked like this. Nor was he ever this quiet.

The boy had aged well, growing from a short, energetic child into a tall and imposing teenager. Gone was the orange jacket and pants with a swirl on the back. His shinobi open-toed shoes were replaced with heavy steel-toed boots. His goggles were also gone, something Sarutobi found himself missing. Somehow he had envisioned that they would always be with Naruto, even in the next life. The boy's wild, unruly hair had stuck, growing even more wild and unruly. His face had developed sharper features, which only accentuated his brilliant blue eyes. Now Naruto wore ripped and torn steel grey pants, a tight white muscle shirt which showed off a VERY well-defined body, and long, spiralling combat wraps along his forearms. Foreign symbols were written in ink along the wraps, and similarly odd symbols decorated his hands.

All in all, Naruto had grown from a kid to an attractive looking man. Which only saddened Sarutobi more, feeling that if he had only been able to help the child, Naruto would have grown into an accomplished ladies man. Much like the Hokage had been in his youth.

Sarutobi's age weighed upon him like a mountain, the memory of his failures still ripe in his head. Finally he spoke to the specter that stood in his office, the silence too much to bear. "Naruto... Wherever you are right now, i'm sorry i couldn't save you. If only i had tried a little harder, i might have been able to do something."

The old man tried and failed to hold back his sorrow, tears began to stain his hated paperwork.

"Jiji, what are you talking about?" Naruto interrupted the moment of sadness.

"I couldn't save you! I tried Naruto, but by the time i found out they had killed you!" It had been his worst day, by far. He had hoped for anything that could get him out of a council meeting, but what got him out of the meeting was something even worse. The guilt still plagued him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in mild confusion, "Nobody killed me, though they sure tried! What are you talking about old man?"

"It was those cursed devil worshippers! They tried to free the nine-tails and killed... You..." Sarutobi trailed off, hoping against hope that Naruto might be real. Standing up from his desk, he pulled the boy he hadn't seen in over eight years into a hug. Yes, he was real. And warm. And not rotting. That meant neither Edo Tensei, nor some necromantic technique had been used. "NARUTO!" He yelled, holding the boy who was like a grandson to him.

"NARUTO!" Another voice called, and Sarutobi looked up to see his star pupil, the ANBU known as Mouse, wrap Naruto in her own hug. Naruto had been about to reply, and begin telling the man he saw as his grandfather about what happened to him, when he was pulled into a hug by a strange girl who seemed to know him. Something about this situation didn't bother him as much as it should have. Usually his reaction to someone hugging him out of the blue was more violent, or at least defensive.

Also, there was something about her voice that bothered him. It reminded him of a friend he'd had once... Mouse pulled off her mask and hugged him once more. She had long brown hair, which was perfectly straight, and had big black eyes which were dotted with tears. A rippling scar crossed her right cheek, clearly from a fire jutsu of some type. Her body was well curved, and she clung to Naruto like he was a teddy bear. "NARUTO! I can't believe you're alive!"

The wheels of his brain spun, trying to puzzle out the identity of this beautiful girl. Suddenly it clicked. That voice was one as familiar as Sarutobi's, and another that kept him sane throughout his hellish childhood. Unable to believe it was true, he spoke in a whisper, hesitant to shatter this moment and wake himself up from the dream he was certain he must be in.

"Ayame?"


	3. Meeting with Tengu

YES YES YES I DID IT! I FINALLY MADE A VERSION OF CH3 THATS NOT GARBAGE! YAAAAAAAY!

Thanks. Without all you guys i'd have given up by now, and i mean that.

(Heh, consider this a valentines day update~)

This is my final attempt to combine my favorite aspects of my old story and my new story, to hopefully make something that is better than both could ever be alone.

* * *

><p>Two individuals walked down a dusty mountain road, stopping their trek just outside the main headquarters for Gato's underground businesses. It was guarded by every manner of Bandit, Brigand, and mercenary money could buy. But the compound was completely devoid of missing-nin. This was odd in the world of shinobi. Gato was a man of ruthless penny pinching, a tactic that served him well in the business world. But he had made the mistake of betraying missing-nin after making use of their services. No only the bravest, or the most foolhardy, of Ninja would work for him.<p>

The two strangers were here to take advantage of this little fact. Because when one wealthy business leader found a practice that so far hadn't bitten him on the ass, and made him a pretty penny doing so, more business leaders were bound to follow in his footsteps. If it became commonplace to betray hired missing-nin, none of them would be safe.

Both individuals stopped outside the fortress, their laid back poses and bright red masks with a large beak on the front marking them as suspicious. Likely either insane or dangerous. Perhaps both. So the gaurdsmen of Gato's criminal empire stood with their hands on whatever weapons they carried, as they observed the strangers.

One was male, and the smell rolling off of him would make decent people cringe. But the bandits that surrounded the two were a far cry from decent people, and most seemed to relish the opportunity to out-stink the stranger. If their chipped, yellow-toothed grins were any indication, they felt they were winning.

It would be a great exaggeration to call his clothing "rags" and a thick black beard hung low and untrimmed beneath the mask. Under the crow's nest beard, a medallion spun. It was cylindrical, and burned with a venomous green fire. Circling the cylinder, twines of gold enshrouded it in twirly lettering. The wealth put into the object was tangible, the bandits could taste it.

The second of the two had a feminine form, with subtle curves hidden by a thin black cloak that covered everything but the mask. Whenever she moved, a clinking sound followed.

But the bandits of Gato's shipping conglomerate in the Land of Waves payed her no mind. They had plenty of women, sex slaves and whores who were willing to do anything to stay on Gato's good side. So the thought of a Kunoichi had no appeal for them. Life as a bandit was dangerous, and every one of them, both old and young, knew a dozen horror stories of men who had tried to violate an unwilling Kunoichi. Some men still tried of course. Some got off on the power, others just had spent too much time with only men for company. More than a few got away with it. But every attempt was a gamble, and one that the servants of Gato felt no need to take. That crystal on the other hand... Well, greed was something that all mankind knew. A gem like that could buy a country if one played his cards right.

The woman spoke up, her smooth voice holding a razors edge within it, "Which one of you is in charge here? Speak up! We seek an audience with Gato." The two had been told simply to find criminal organizations. Gato was obviously the first to visit, as his crimes were about as well hidden as Tsunade's gambling problem.

The bandit's simple minds only caught one of those words, and that word was "Seek". These people didn't have an audience with Gato. They might even be spies or assassins. As such they wouldn't be missed, and even if they were there would never be any proof of who attacked them. This was like kami reaching down and handing them riches, and they all offered up thanks for god inventing the sucker. As one they all charged the man in the red-beaked mask, blades drawn as they fought for the crystal that would make them kings.

A long ways off, in the land of sound, another man and woman in red beaked masks, spoke with the leaders of the Fuma clan. A second crime group that was pathetically easy to find (They had an ALLEY named after them. An alley where shady crime stuff happens. Not too many dots to connect.) The man in the mask looked at the Fuma clan gang's leader, happy that they could reach a compromise.

He was dressed in long black robes, made of an excessive amount of fabric. Stitches ran across it, covering hundreds of minor tears in the baggy material. The stitching was rough, clearly the man's own handiwork, like he'd grown so used to stitching these robes he knew every rip by heart.

His partner wore a threadbare cloak, little more than a blanket with a high heavy hood to hide the seams of her mask. She was clearly uncomfortable in the garment, the entire thing seemed built with the expressed purpose of throwing it off the second trouble started. She didn't even bother to follow the diplomatic proceedings, she just stood off to the side, bobbing her head in rythm to sounds only she could hear. Her mask was different, being much higher than her partners, almost as if she had an object around the top of her head she wished to hide.

The man smiled beneath his mask, already marking the next group to visit on a handheld map of the elemental nations. "Well Hanzaki of the Fuuma Clan, let me be the first to welcome you into the ranks of Tengu."

* * *

><p>"Hey dad! Look who's here to see you? It's Naruto, he came back to us. Just like you said he would." Ayame knelt next to a small plot of land in Konoha's cemetery. The headstone read, "Teuchi Ichiraku. A man who opened his heart to all."<p>

Naruto knelt next to Ayame, trying to come to terms with everything. Teuchi had always seemed like a piece of konoha, more like a monument than a man. Just like Sarutobi, it had always seemed like Teuchi would always be a part of the village. The thought that he would never see Teuchi's warm, friendly smile again... It was unbearable.

"Ayame." Naruto whispered through clenched teeth, "What happened."

"I-it was a little over two weeks after you vanished. A group of people from the village showed up at the gates. Mostly civilians but a handful of Genin were there two. They carried a Jonin named Kazara Maruyama. He was dead, and a lot of them were injured. They told everybody about a group of nine-tails worshiping cultists who abducted you, and how they managed to track them down to a small seaside village. When they got there, they fought through the cultists trying to save you. They said they found the cult leader trying to unseal the beast, and barely managed to collapse his sealing jutsu. It collapsed and killed you, but stopped the beast from being released."

Naruto ground his teeth with rage, blood soaked into his combat wraps from how tightly his nails dug into his palms. How dare they. HOW DARE THEY! They murdered innocent people, the people who treated him as a friend, as family, and they had the gall to say that they were the good guys?! They would suffer, every last one of them... A voice pushed it's way into his thoughts. The very voice that lived within his mind. Kill kill them ALL burn it burn it burn it everything die betrayed us kill them ALL none escape burn it all everything everyone the village the land the world all fire fire fire all gone all better betrayers burn. As always, it was a mix of insanity and pure rage, and one Naruto had long since learned to push back into the corners of his mind.

He was so furious, Naruto almost missed the rest of Ayame's story. "They said a bunch of stuff happened, and none of it made sense. It had so many holes in it... But the council proclaimed them heroes. The Hokage tried to interrogate them, find out what really happened, but every time he did something the council rallied against him. A few days later, when Sarutobi-sensei was busy with a mountain of paperwork... They stopped by our stand. We told them to leave, that we wouldn't serve liars. But they had an Uchiha with them. It was dark out... All the customers were gone. There were twenty of them out there, standing in the street. The Uchiha's eyes swirled, and i saw the red tomoe of a sharingan..." Here Ayame, the cold collected ANBU who had made a name for herself as "Konoha's Red Flower" broke down and cried.

Naruto shook the blood from his hands, and held his childhood friend as she cried against him. Her body shook with sobs.

When she had calmed down she looked out towards the Hokage monument, covered in the four faces of the village Hokage since it was first created by Hashirama Senju's dream of unity and peace. "If they only knew... They would have torched this village long ago."

She trailed off, her voice dying. How long she was quiet nobody knew, seconds felt like hours, and minutes felt like seconds. Just as Naruto began to think she wouldn't finish the story, she spoke. "I couldn't move. I felt like i couldn't breathe. They got my father with it too. I wanted to scream, call for somebody to help. But couldn't. It was such a simple genjutsu, i could break a hundred just like it as i am now. But i wasn't the same person back then. They doused the stand in cooking oil. Father too. They burned everything. Worst of all..." She froze, holding Naruto even tighter. "My fathers great secret. What made his ramen so good. He had a great big metal freezer imported from Kumo. Kept everything fresher, allowed him to take his time preparing everything. They... They locked me in it as the stand burned." Her right hand touched the burn patterns on her right cheek, revealing that the entire hand was covered in similar burns. "Sarutobi-sensei pulled me out. Just a scared eight year old who showed clear signs of being placed under a genjutsu. Because of that, i couldn't charge anyone with the crime. But Sarutobi-sensei took me in. I told him i wanted to be a ninja so i would never have to feel as powerless as i did then. The council threw a fit of course, but he stood up for me, trained me when everyone else said my chakra coils never developed enough for me to be a ninja."

She broke her hug with Naruto, matching his eyes with her dark brown ones, "Did you know there are genin with more chakra than me?" She laughed, a sad pathetic thing, riddled with pain. But a shred of joy still clung to it. "Only one other person ever acknowledged that i could be a ninja. His name was Itachi Uchiha, and he murdered his entire clan for no reason one night. I should hate him. Everyone does. But when he murdered his clan, he found the man who placed the genjutsu on me and my father. I don't know how he did it, but he did. That man... Itachi took his time. Pushed him as far as the human body can be pushed, and then a little bit further. Used every torture in the book. I can't help but want to thank him for that, no matter how bad his crime was."

Naruto felt happy, happy that someone could do so much for a stranger. He promised to one day help Itachi as he helped Ayame.

"Sarutobi-sensei began to see how hopeless i was. He never said it, but i knew he thought it. Everyone did, even me. He tried so hard, trained me as often as he could, but my chakra never grew to even a decent point. A simple genjutsu leaves me gasping for breath, i can't use elemental techniques, a Fire jutsu would kill me from chakra exhaustion. But then fate stepped in. He found a scroll for sale in Sunagakure, a scroll on the basics of chakra strings. It was expensive, i know that much, but he never told me how much he had to pay for it. But when i first made them, it was like magic! I had so little chakra, but making the strings didn't bother me at all. I learned to make one the day i got the scroll. By the end of the week i had a dozen. By the months end, three times that number. I wanted to become a puppet master like they have in Suna. But those scrolls are top secret. Nobody gets them. So i took what i had and made it work. Two years ago i won the Chunin exams, and within a year i had passed the Jonin exams. I lost that, but still did pretty well. Then Sarutobi-sensei gave me a surprise. Just a month ago, he gave me my ANBU mask, and made me one of his bodyguards! It was the happiest day of my life." Ayame smiled at Naruto, who was taken aback by how beautiful the gesture was. It was like a morning glory. Usually it's a sad, dark looking flower, but that only makes it more beautiful when it blooms. Ayame spoke again, her smile growing, "Or... At least it was. Until... Today that is." She took Naruto's chin, and pulled him into a kiss.

* * *

><p>Just a short ways away from the kissing couple, the fifth member of Tengu, a man who viewed himself as Naruto's personal bodyguard stood watch on a tombstone. His browngreen blended eyes looked through the scope atop of a very long high powered rifle. A bullet was chambered, and his finger rested on the trigger. It wasn't that he was concerned for the Boss, it was simply a force of habit. He couldn't relax if his finger wasn't pressed against the comforting weight of the firm metal switch.

An even six feet, he wore a long, brown and green camouflage jacket. Beneath that he wore a black wire mesh shirt, and long cargo pants that bagged around his ankles. His feet were covered in high combat boots, with metal clasps along the sides. Fingerless green gloves were on his hands, and a silver metal heart swung on a pendant which attached to a simple string around his neck. The mans hair was a pale blonde, neatly combed and mostly hidden under a green and brown camo beret on his head.

Of all Tengu's members, this was the only one who never wore a mask. The logic being, that if an enemy got close enough to see his face and survive to tell the tale, whatever fate he received was simply a byproduct of his own lacking skills. "Poor poor girl, been through so much. The boss too." He mused, revealing that he could read lips. "What a shame, everybody else gets a fun job and here i am stuck with the graveyard shift." When he realized his own joke, he cracked up. Wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, he made a mental note to remember that joke for some other time. Looking at the sun which had just begun to rise, the sniper realized that he was late. In fact he was late, he was late, for a very important date. With no time to say hello/goodbye, he was late late late late late.

Laughter followed him as he sped off to his mission.

(please get this reference, it's important to the identity of a mystery man.)

* * *

><p>Five small villages across the land of fire woke to a wondrous sight. They had received an invitation to join the group which called itself "Tengu". Better yet, it was an ACTUAL invitation, not a "Bandits butcher your families and rape your women if you don't" invitation.<p>

Four of these villages awoke to a member of this organization standing in the town square, the remaining village found a long letter notifying them of their choice. The terms were simple.

Tengu wanted nothing. Absolutely nothing. At first they thought it was a joke. Then they began to understand. Despite the masks and cloaks, Tengu wasn't a criminal organization, nor did they have a specific goal in mind. Their desire was simply to make the lands safe for all, and since the Ninja never did a goddamn thing without pay, they would secure the lands by offering Shinobi training to any who would offer.

"These... Gift to you. We only ask you protect you." The foul dressed, foul smelling man with that glowing pendant said in broken english. When he said you, he gestured to the entire crowd, indicating that they would have to protect themselves. A twelve year old boy stepped towards him. The boy's leg was badly crippled in an attack last year, and his sister was taken by bandits. When she was taken, he prayed for her return. Now he prayed that she was long dead. "I-i want to protect my town. Please teach me how to." On a crippled leg, he tried to bow to his teacher, but the bone was too poorly injured for that. Struggling to bow, tears stained his eyes and the boy knew he would never protect anyone. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the foreign man who offered the chance to make his dreams come true. The man guided the boy to stand tall, and rapped a hand twice on his own chest. "Heart. Courage. Make good shinobi." Then he tapped the boy's chest. "See same in you. Make good shinobi." The villagers of Dosa strode forward in droves, inspired by the boy.

For the first time, common civilians in the elemental nations began to feel that their lives weren't forfeit the second a bandit came around.

In the end, only three villages joined Tengu. Dosa, a small mountain village to the northwest of Konoha that farmed rice and barely turned a profit. Shizukana, a once noble port city that had rapidly dwindled into insignificance when other larger ports opened around the elemental nations. And lastly Wattan, a village of perhaps two or three hundred woodcutters.

Their training began, but outside of each village, a blood-red sign hung ominously. In pitch black letters the sign proclaimed,

PROTECTED BY TENGU

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED


	4. Setting things in motion romantically

I will be subtly mocking a great many people who deserve to be mocked in this chapter. If you are at all offended by the implications i make, remember that i just don't care : D

If any one person can guess all four of Orochimaru's guests (They are NOT from Naruto. Three are historical figures and the final one (the one in gold) represents a group) Guess all successfully, and you can name any woman in the Naruto universe, and Naruto will end up with her. Feel free to guess multiple times, and i wish you all the best of luck.

OH! And this is meant to replace Ch 4, however i decided to split the chapter into two parts. Hopefully i shall finish and post the second half tomorrow! Until then my lovelies!

* * *

><p>Sarutobi sat in his office. Today was a good day for him. The sun rose outside of his window, lighting the majestic city of konoha and signifying the start of a brand new day. Today would be the worst day he had ever had. Seeing Naruto again had reignited a blaze that many thought gone for good. Sarutobi remembered why he had first taken his position, his mind gaining a clarity that years of depression and seeing the village torn apart around him by those it protected had stolen.<p>

This was a mistaken old mans second chance, and it would raise Konoha to never before thought glory, or tear the nation he loved apart.

* * *

><p>Speaking of tearing Konoha apart, a certain pale pedophiliac snake was wondering how he could do just that. Of all the hidden villages, Konoha was regarded as the strongest. So removing it would be no easy task. He would need all the allies he could get for the time when his plan came to fruition..<p>

Sure Sunagakure, the village hidden in the sand, was willing to fight beside him. That was great. But the Kazekage was showing signs of uncertainty, he may need to be removed before too long. If that were to happen, the invasion would still go off without a hitch, but Orochimaru would be down one absurdly powerful ally. Everything would rest on the mans son Gaara, and the tailed beast within him. The tailed beasts were powerful, but uncontrollable, and if Shukaku chose to attack both sides it could be disastrous.

Which is why Orochimaru was seeking out old friends who might fight beside him. Hidden deeply beneath an unnamed mountain, in the center of a forest that not even Jonin could safely enter, and guarded by an army of stone soldiers, five kage level shinobi met in secret.

Orochimaru had been a part of this group since they had begun, and their bonds of friendship may just be enough to gather these five to his cause.

They sat in simple chairs around a circular table, each the leader of their own perverted warrior faction. Here Orochimaru pondered his "friends" and thought about what they would desire as payment to help his cause, if indeed they would help his cause.

To his right stood a man, who had once possessed the rich dark brown skin of a man from Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds. But through the mastery of a forbidden technique, his skin became a blotchy, disgusting shade of pale white. Even worse, this coloration was mostly on his face, shifting to a pale sand colored skin as it got further and further away from his face. His hair was like greased black ramen noodles, curled and shining. If you had said it looked like crude oil... You'd probably be correct. This man wore a glossy red suit, pale white gloves, and dark black shoes. He and Orochimaru had first met in a fight over the last copy of "Young Uchiha Bodies" magazine. Which Orochimaru had wanted for... Research. And he had wanted because... He was a kid at heart? It was kind of confusing with him.

Speaking of which, the man was currently dancing backwards across their meeting table. From time to time he'd spin and grab his crotch like his goal was to rip it off! All weirdness aside the man was a powerful ally, but one Orochimaru doubted would help him fight.

To the left of the Snake Sannin, was a man who's clan cast ninjutsu through a piece of wood infused with chakra. It was a technique kept solely inside the clan, and allowed the users to fire off rapid jutsu chains. They were unparalleled in the art of ranged combat, although this left their close combat skills with much to desire. Although this man had stepped far beyond his clan techniques, venturing into the forbidden techniques to destroy his enemies at any cost. It was rumored he had even achieved immortality!

Whatever his technique for immortality was, it seemed to require the sacrifice of ones nose and hair. This man was sickly pale, and always wore rich black robes. His followers wore the same getup, but added a silver skull mask covered in intricate engravings. They also all carried a tattoo of a skull, with a long fanged snake crawling out of it.

He and Orochimaru both shared a love of snakes, and the man had even taught Orochimaru a handful of words in the snake language. This man had always loved a good fight, he would definitely fight against konoha.

The final two in their group were old acquaintances, and neither of them were likely to come out and say openly their desires. IT as 50/50 either way whether they'd help or not. But if they did, the dancing man would join in too. He always did love being in the center of positive public opinion. And the mere thought of SEVEN armies all seeing him dance would be too much for his sense of showmanship to resist.

Of the two, one was tall, pasty and wore more gold on his robes than a king. He carried a tall golden staff, which he was more than profient with in combat. Although this man's strength was not on the battlefield, but in his words. He could instill a degree of loyalty in people to the extent that they would murder their own children if he but asked them too. This was no Kekkai Genkai, nor was it a forbidden technique. It was solely his own skill, and one he was a master of. Of the five, he was the weakest, but his followers were by far the most numerous, and they were willing to give their lives if he but snapped his fingers.

The second man had long, effeminate hair, and a face that looked sickly pale. His quiet grey eyes were deep in thought, and he seemed to not even be thinking about the conversation going on around him. He wore a black overcoat, grey vest, white dress shirt, and a black bow tie.

His father had been good friends with the gold wearing man, but his relationship with both his father and the gold man was a strained one at best. He was the youngest man in the group, and also the most fiercely intelligent. A brilliant tactician, and natural thinker, he often had the dull look of a man lost in his own thoughts. This led many to mistakenly assume he was dim-witted, or on a psychotropic substance. Both of which were outlandish lies. His mind was fanciful and confusing, and he fought using complex logical puzzle genjutsu, the type that very few were sharp enough to escape from.

He was an outsider to the group for two reasons, the first being his passion for creation. While the rest wanted to spread their agenda, or burn everything that didn't confirm with their desires, he simply desired to further his mind. He was an avid writer of poetry and fanciful stories, and had recently delved into a new art called "Photography" in which a picture was created without paints, using only light and paper. The second oddity about the man, was that out of every member of the group, he was the only one with an interest in women.

The man in gold spoke to the group, yet addressed Orochimaru solely. "Very well. We have heard your proposal, and we shall think it over. You shall have our answer on the day you attack konoha."

His speech finished, the golden man stood, signifying an end to the discussion. This meeting of the Dark pervert society was at an end. Only time would tell, but Orochimaru smiled, knowing that if even one of these men joined his assault, nobody in Konoha could stop them.

* * *

><p>Naruto sighed, and slumped into a couch. Jiji had promised that if Naruto could pass the Genin exams with the highest rank in the classroom, not even the civilian council could stop him from becoming a Ninja. During his years in the south, Naruto had learned things that would probably place him at low-Chunin level. He was powerful, and a skilled fighter, but the southern regions didn't use chakra. As such, even basic chakra manipulation was unknown to the boy. All he had was Taijutsu, and although he didn't know the true name of it, he was an expert in Fuinjutsu. One of his friends in the south had trained him in an unconventional, but powerful, version of the sealing techniques called Lovushke v Rabote. Every seal utilized blocky lettering and a five pointed star shape. The shape's purpose was dictated by the lettering around it, and involved five minor points and one primary one. It was confusing as hell to learn, but very effective when mastered.<p>

That being said, Naruto understood the need to be a well-rounded ninja. Well rounded ninja were best equipped to handle a large variety of situations. In places like Otogakure (Village hidden in the sound) and Iwagakure (Village hidden in the Rocks) they trained their Ninja to be individualized specialists. Then they grouped them into three man squads to minimize their individual weaknesses. It was efficient, and allowed the two nations to field large armies of Ninja. But their individual skills suffered because of that.

The first thing Naruto needed to learn was breaking a Genjutsu, and learning when one has been cast on you. He was a hopeless student in casting Genjutsu, with his absurdly high chakra levels.

Next he needed to learn the three basic academy techniques. The test at the end of the year was split into three parts, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu. The Taijutsu test was basic combat in a ranked fight system using only fists and feet. Jutsu were forbidden. The Ninjutsu test took the three basic academy techniques, and if you couldn't perform all three you would fail. The Genjutsu test was a test of your mental processes, in the form of a written test. Out of consideration for Ninja who lacked certain skills, one of your scores could be dropped from the test.

Since Naruto didn't care about learning every intricacy in the village's history, he decided to skip the paper test. The battlefield was the ultimate test, one where learned knowledge was forgotten in an instant and instinct took over. Book smarts would only get you killed.

Naruto had just begun training in the three academy jutsu, when someone knocked on his door. Investigating, Naruto found that it was Ayame, there to get him for their date. As of last night, they were an official couple. The village gossip mill had yet to find out, hell, they hadn't found out Naruto was BACK yet.

As if on cue, a loud yell "WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" came from the direction of the council headquarters. As the gathered civilians tried to come up with some reason to have the fox demon executed, and Sarutobi tempered his patience and restrained from killing them all.

Ayame giggled, and after snatching Naruto's hand, dragged him around the village to see the sights. They saw a lot on their date. Naruto had been gone for so long, he'd never gotten the opportunity to enjoy the village as others could. When he was here everyone was more preoccupied with kicking the crap out of him, then being kind to him. Funny what being "dead" for eight years could do for your public image. Nobody had yet realized that he was the boy they had abused all those years ago. All they saw was two teenagers out on a date.

Ayame wore a crystal blue sundress, a gift from Sarutobi along with his best wishes. She cut a stunning figure out of her ANBU garb. At 5'3" Ayame was slightly shorter than most girls her age, but it didn't bother her like it did some people. The sundress enhanced her beauty, catching her curves perfectly, the gorgeous piece tailor made as a birthday present for her. Unfortunately the request was caught up in paperwork, so Sarutobi was a few months late in getting it to her. Their was no other dress like it in the land of fire, and Ino, the town gossip, was furious. She felt that a dress like that could help her seduce Sasuke, and since Ayame and the new boy in her class, he must have gotten it from her. She thought his name was Naruro or something like that, after all he wasn't Sasuke so she had no reason to learn his name. The ponytailed blonde slunk off, already plotting to get a dress like that from the mysterious blonde.

Naruto on the other hand, stood an even 5'5". He was tall for his age, and well built, the fighting style he practiced resulting in a toned eight pack. There wasn't a drop of fat on his body. His muscles were sleek and toned, as opposed to the sheer bulk muscle most taijutsu fighters idiotically strove for. As his combat instructor told him when he asked about training for big muscles, "Now boss why would ya do something like that? You ever seen those suckers move? Those big arms and giant legs don't do a thing but slow you down! And once they start a punch, they just can't stop! What the hell good does that do ya? A man who spends all his time training for strength... He's gonna die. Thats all there is too it."

Learning well under his tutelage, Naruto's body was built like a gymnast. A solid core for quick shifts in direction, powerful legs for rapid movement, lunges, and jumps, and the arm strength required to catch oneself, with the dexterity needed to control ones rotation in midair.

Ayame sent several glares towards Kunoichi who couldn't keep their eyes off her Naruto-kun. The sharp eyes of an ANBU informing them that it might be best to check out a different girls boyfriend.

Naruto wore his Ninja gear, having just gotten to the village yesterday he had not gotten the opportunity to purchase more clothes. Although Ayame liked how he looked, when she found out they were the only clothes he had she threw a fit. Dragging him to the nearest clothing store, she bought him several outfits before relenting and letting Naruto pick out his own clothes. Although Naruto was now a very wealthy individual, neither of them knew it yet. So Naruto promised to pay her back someday, and they took the clothes back to his place.

And so ended Naruto and Ayame's first date. With a heated and passionate kiss, Ayame walked out of Naruto's apartment, sending him a playful wink as she left.

She had had a crush on Naruto for a long time, and was ready to explore love further with the man of her dreams. But self doubt had wriggled into her thoughts, she feared that he might reject her, if she moved to fast. Or worse, that he might think she was a slut who did this with any guy. Ayame wanted Naruto to be her first and only, but she had no idea how to express this to him.

Naruto was leaning against the door of his apartment, wondering the same thing. Should he try and go further with Ayame? He felt like she wanted him too... And Naruto had always been a talented judge of character. But what if he was wrong? What if he screwed up everything by moving too quickly? All they'd done was kiss, not even a little light petting. Not even a grope.

Somewhere in the Ninja world, a certain white haired toad sage could sense a young couple in dire need of his books.


	5. Time to shake things up

Naruto must have been chanelling Kakashi when he stepped into the classroom. Because his first impression was to instinctively hate everyone there... If only to prove that his self-preservation instincts were working. These people were idiots at best, incompetent at worst, and somewhere in the middle was an angsty suicide cult waiting to happen.

Sasuke glared at him, not knowing why, but for some reason he felt the blonde was mocking him. Or even worse, mocking his dreams of making "magic cool-aid" with some hooded followers after killing his brother.

Not one of the Ninja in this room had a chance of surviving real combat. Himself, excepted of course. Naruto had already survived actual combat. Even with his years of training under the five, their was a massive chasm that separated him from the powerful beings who followed him. While he was their leader, any one of them would slaughter him in battle.

But then again, it was a rare individual who could stand up against the five. Not even all five of them. Just one could stop most opponents. All five could stop most countries.

Of all the Ninja here, Naruto knew he was the best by a wide margin, with the second being... Here he paused to look over the possible students. Most probably thought Sasuke was the best. Sasuke was maybe fifth. Nope, there was a quiet girl in the back of the class who could beat him if she tried.

Seeing that girl caused a tingle in the back of Naruto's mind, like he had forgotten something important. Racking his brain he tried to remember her. He chased down every detail that he remembered of Konoha before he left. Still she evaded his memories.

Finally Naruto gave up, subtlety never was his skill anyways. Though recently he'd gotten MUCH better at it if his recent plans were any indication.

"One."

KA-CHOOM

Ka-chak

"A-Two!"

KA-CHOOM

Ka-chak

"And THREE!"

KA-CHOOM

Pulling his camo-cap over his eyes, the fifth member of Tengu lay in a field of fresh grass. His massive rifle within arms reach, the barrel still smoking from the shots fired from it moments ago.

"Ah! Can't forget the most important thing!" Picking up his rifle, he pulled back the bolt on it's side, freeing the empty shell casing. With a well-practiced motion, he pushed a new bullet in and slammed it shut.

Ka-chak.

Music to his ears.

Umeko Watanabe was nothing special. This was something that the young Kunoichi had known her entire life. She had tried, oh she had tried! She worked day in and day out to master the arts of the Fuuma clan, but her hands were clumsy and she never learned even the weakest family teachings. Today was her last day to prove herself, where she had fought for a chance to prove herself. If she failed... Her father would marry her off to some merchant, in an attempt to gain the family political power.

To Umeko, this was a fate worse than death. She was part of a dozen Fuuma clan warriors, sent in to support the five when they raided the base of Orochimaru. The sickly-pale snake man had lured off dozens of her fellow clansmen with promises of power and wealth.

In doing so, they had betrayed their clan. The punishment would be death. A traitor deserved no less.

Umeko was one of many who had wanted to join Orochimaru. Who could resist the promises of power that left his honeyed lips? And his silver tongue seemed to whisper through their dreams, endlessly offering his gifts, there for the taking if they were only brave enough to do so.

She was a 14 year old Kunoichi, 5'6" tall, with pale brown eyes. She had never believed that she was special, and a life of failure had only cemented that belief within her body. Despite all that, she had a fire within her soul, a flaming desire to live life on her own terms.

The other Fuuma clan warriors stood, shuriken and kunai in hand. She crouched in a tree, two spools of razor wire held tightly in her grip. A failure with kunai, a failure with the sword, a failure with jutsu... But razor wire had always been fun. So it was what she trained with, in the hopes of one day becoming a skilled Kunoichi.

Three shots burst through the forest, though nobody knew where the shots had come from. One of Orochimaru's men crumpled to the floor. Another fell against a wall, before sliding to the ground. The wall behind him was red with blood. The third man jumped back in shock, the bullet barely missing him by a fingers width.

Sighing in defeat, the warriors of the Fuuma clan turned around, knowing that their raid against the one who stole their comrades away was a bust. Their leader had promised allies who would help them succeed, but with the guard escaping the base would simply lock down. They would never get in, all was lo... Oh. Never mind.

The guard had jumped backwards, saving his life from the tiny lump of lead which almost obliterated his throat. Unfortunately, the rest of Tengu was on standby just in case Takamashi got lazy.

And so the guard found that when he jumped back, a man stood up from the bushes by the side of the road. This man wore the red cloak and red beaked mask of the relatively tiny criminal organization "Tengu". An organization so small that none of it's members were even in the Bingo books.

This man who stood wore baggy clothing, with stitches that ran over large gashes in the fabric. He moved rapidly, and no matter how the guard tried, he couldn't sense the man's chakra. It was like the man had no chakra at all in his body. Then the Tengu operative grabbed him by the neck.

The guard could feel something amazing filling his body, spreading through his limbs like fire... And then the amazing feelings shifted into pain. He could see his chakra network, overloaded with a chakra so powerful that his system began fluctuating. The mass of chakra within his chakra network was roughly equal to the nine-tailed fox in full on attack mode. It was so powerful it created a "Current" pattern within his body, just like the moon creates currents in earth's waves. But these currents weren't gentle, bring your kids to the beach currents. These were fifty foot tall tsunami currents, and when the chakra bunched up within his tenketsu points it overloaded them. His tenketsu released chakra in a powerful spike, enough chakra to create a LITERAL spike of energy, which tore through everything; muscle, skin, bone, even the tenketsu themselves.

Seven spikes of chakra were created within the man's body, each causing more pain and damage than the last. By the third, he could no longer scream. By the fifth, he no longer had a throat to scream with. The seventh of the spikes shot from one of his organ chakra points, liquefying his heart in a powerful spear of unstoppable energy.

The Tengu member backed away, leaving the Fuuma clan warriors to gape in awe at the power displayed. The body spasmed on the floor, because though the guard was dead, his chakra network would keep fluctuating with that devastating power for a few days. Spikes from his chakra points tore through the ground, his body, shrubbery around the ground... Stepping within ten feet of him wasn't safe.

Just as the Fuuma clan were wondering how they would get into the base, another member of Tengu appeared. The man who looked like he lived in a garbage can and smelled almost worse ran up, quickly tossing a blanket over the spasming body. A five-pointed star was written on the blanket in blood, and odd black lettering encircled the star. The body vanished into the blanket, which folded in on itself until it was shaped like a small peach. A five pointed star glowed on top of the wrapped sheet, and one by one the points stopped glowing. Every two seconds another stopped. Three points remained when the smelly man, who held his glowing pendant in one hand, grabbed the peach-sized orb and threw it into the base.

Orochimaru's bases were never poorly built. They represented his most advanced capabilities, both offensive and defensive. No less than fifty Ninja manned any of his active bases, and small groups were always kept at decommissioned bases. The guards were unofficial Chunin, having forgone the Chunin exams to keep their skills and capabilities private. One Jonin would control a base, guiding the soldiers beneath him as they led the soldiers beneath them. A few bases had multiple Jonin manning them, but this was not one of them. This base wasn't even important enough to warrant curse marked warrior support! But the man in charge of this base wasn't once called "The last hope of the Fuuma clan" for nothing. The base kept dozens of genin as "trainees" though in actuality they were little more than cannon fodder. Three had just died outside, but the man in charge didn't bat an eye. Using his chakra strings, which he had attached to every Ninja on the base, he knew whenever an individual died. Within seven seconds of the first guards death the low-level chunin had formed an assault squad of no less than twenty men, and were rushing out armed to the teeth.

These were powerful warriors, each with skilled techniques which they themselves honed to mastery in an effort to impress the great lord orochimaru. Fire, wind, water, earth, and lightning attacks flew the second the doors had opened, racing forward with the accuracy of practice. But one attack flew back at them.

The doorway was sliding open, grinding open along a near invisible middle seal which perfectly sealed the facility off from the outside world. When a bandaged object flew in through the hole. These trained warriors dodged it, the groups designated defensive fighters placed a dome around it before it hit the ground, while the offensive fighters fired three lightning bullets, a water dragon, and a pheonix flower at the man with his green glowing pendant. The last the sound Ninja thought about the bundled item was why it had a five pointed star with only a single glowing point on it...

The destruction was monstrous. No human should have this kind of power. These were Umeko's thoughts when she first set foot inside Orochimaru's base. Her next thoughts followed a vomiting session, something that many of the other Fuuma clan warriors were sharing in.

Holes drilled deeply into the walls and doors of the entrance hallway, and these holes now held pools of blood, bone, discarded limbs, and human waste. It was a disgusting sight. Especially to Umeko. She had always believed in the Ninja stories, you know, a hero valiantly saving the day, or an individual standing up for their clan to protect what's important to them. This... This was the true reality of the Ninja world. The powerful massacring the weak who unfortunately had different views. These Ninja had followed Orochimaru, so they died in droves.

Umeko saw another girl, not much older than she was, trying to move an arm that didn't exist anymore.

Worst of all was the smell. The stories never told you about the smell. The dead flesh had yet to rot, but the chakra spikes that had torn through their strongest defenses in a instant had mutilated everything and everyone. A handful of people were taken prisoner, but most simply begged the Fuuma to kill them.

Umeko found the girls missing arm and returned it to her. The girl smiled at Umeko, and passed out from blood loss. Umeko was sick of it, she couldn't bear to see any more. She grabbed the girl, pulling her out of the corpse filled room. She lay the girl on the grass, and after cutting a strip of razor wire, began stitching her arm back together. It wasn't a professional job by any means, but might allow the young sound Ninja to keep her limb. A woman in a Tengu mask, who's every footstep rattled something beneath her coat, walked up to Umeko.

"My teammates are monsters aren't they? Don't worry about her, i'll take her into town and find her a good medic. Head back in girl... You still have a mission to complete." Without even pausing for Umeko to thank her, the clattering woman picked up the sound Ninja and rushed off with her.

By the time Umeko forced herself inside of the building, the smell of death had filled every nook and cranny.

The sound Ninja who had been in critical condition were now dead. Of the twenty three who had entered the room, six would leave it. Four men, and two women. Three died of their injuries within an hour. By then the base was on lockdown, so Tengu led the hunt through the corridors for the remaining security forces. As a squad the group moved, twelve Fuuma clan Ninja, and two members of the astoundingly elite gang known as Tengu. Based on this single mission, every one of the Fuuma clan Ninja were firmly behind the idea to join Tengu.

Sound fought back of course. They knew the terrain, they had the advantage of surprise, and they were better Ninja than the Fuuma clan warriors. But the group made it. They lost three of the Fuuma Ninja, and Umeko had a long cut down her forearm from a katana slash that barely missed anything vital. They reached the center of the facility, where the control center would be. The doors were locked, the Jonin in charge behind them.

It was going to be a dangerous fight, something every one of the Fuma knew. They readied their stances, and prepared to charge the doors once they opened. Then the strong smelling bearded Tengu walked up to the door, and slapped a five-pointed seal on it. He yelled, "Five Style Seal: A Week In Hell!"

The entire central chamber; Jonin, elite guards, all of it, vanished. Not a speck of dust remained. Just a smoking crater in the middle of the facility. Every one of the Sound Ninja felt their Jonin leader's chakra string markers get cut.

Naturally they all decided now was a good time to retreat.

39 Sound Ninja escaped the facility. Twenty eight Chunin and eleven Genin. They ran out as quickly as they could, before anyone showed any interest in following them. The sniper took a few shots, and killed two of the Chunin before they escaped, but that was more for fun than anything else.

Tengu stopped the Fuuma clan from pursuing the Sound Ninja. This had been their goal after all, engage the sound base, win, and let them crawl back to Orochimaru.

The hand of challenge had been thrown down, they would have to wait and see if Naruto's plan was truly as ingenious as he thought it was.


	6. Class

First things first, i'm sending out a thanks to all of the wonderful people who encourage me to keep writing this story! I've loved the reviews i received, many of them have given me ideas and/or smoothed out my story process.

Secondly, i'd like to say that to you people who send a review solely for the purpose of telling me my story sucks... Please tell me why it sucks. I'd like to improve my writing skills, and if you dislike the plot tell me why. Because if you're just telling me it sucks for no reason, you're just being an asshole. And to you assholes... Go fuck yourself, preferably with a traffic cone.

Lastly, i feel the need to mention two special reviewers who are always a pleasure to hear from. To Skeek622, and Kunoichi of the Moonlit Night, an extra special thanks! You two are awesome.

NOW! On to the riveting fourth chapter of Naruto the Conqueror.

**2 Years Ago**

"I just want to know one thing Boss. Why? Why would you ever return to THEM after all they've done to you?"

"Takamashi, Is It so difficult to understand? My precious people live over there..." Naruto's grin darkened maliciously, "More importantly, they forced me from my own home. They think they've beaten me. I refuse to let that stand. I will return someday, and the land that rejected me shall bathe in blood."

"Ah. I like the way you think Boss."

**Present Day**

The leaf village was in chaos. Most of the police force was drugged, and the rest were either missing or confirmed dead. A few dozen high-ranking civilians had been abducted in the night, taken from their homes by the most gaudily dressed Ninja since Naruto. Merchant shops and houses had been destroyed, seemingly at random. Some were owned by the rich, and others by the poor. Even the WAY they'd been destroyed was odd. The entire area was warped, bending and reshaping into massive spikes. Sarutobi was known as "The Professor" for his advanced knowledge on jutsu, but even he had never heard of something like this. A prison break had occurred that same night, with no leads as to who had done it, aside from the guards statement that, "He was a really smelly, dirty guy who talked in a heavy accent." Fortunately the prisoners released were all low-ranking, with very few being even A-ranked. The final numbers were 36 C-rank, 19 B-rank, and 2 A-rank. None were particularly dangerous, mostly foreign spies who had bad luck, and who's info would be drastically outdated. As such, no great effort was being expended to hunt them down. Finally, a handful of graves had been robbed. When Sarutobi first read this report, he almost choked on his morning coffee, fearing that someone was preparing an Edo Tensei. But none of the burgled bodies were even leniently considered "Powerful" and many were civilian-born Ninja of no real importance. The kind of Ninja that never grew up to realize how dangerous their job was, and died shortly after leaving the village. It was sad, but it happened.

Every bit of this screamed "Orochimaru" The convoluted, obscure plans, the odd targets that made no real sense, even the prison break for foreign shinobi. All it was missing was a perverted cackle.

Deep in thought, Sarutobi was puzzling out these odd events when Naruto burst into his office, "Hey Jiji! I got a favor to ask."

"Naruto, at least knock before entering." The elderly Hokage sighed in exasperation. "Alright boy, what's the favor?"

"Weeeeell, i never got to finish talking to you last night, and i was wondering if you could make me a Ninja of the village and give me a clan." Once again Sarutobi almost choked on his coffee.

"WHAT? Naruto, with how long you've been gone... I know you defeated Izumo and Kotetsu last night, and i admit your skill with wind chakra is impressive, but you need more than that to gain clan status. Although..." Remembering the boy's considerable wind manipulation skill, and the fact that he had yet to tell the boy about Ninja requirements, he decided to give him a chance. Scribbling on the back of a rejected bill, the Hokage stamped it "Approved" and handed it to Naruto.

"Here Naruto, with this you will be able to participate in the Genin exams. They should be happening in a month. If you pass, you'll become a Genin and be placed on a team with two others under the supervision of a Jonin. No individual under the rank of Jonin may hold clan head status. So once you finish the Chunin exams and Jonin exams, I'll be more than happy to grant you clan status."

A delighted Naruto rushed from the room, heading off to train. Sarutobi smiled, hoping that he could reveal Naruto's true heritage soon. That boy deserved some fortune in life. If he took after his father... No, Sarutobi refused to think like that. Naruto would be fine, and the curse his father suffered from would stay gone. Sitting back in his seat, the Hokage enjoyed his coffee, free of interruptions as he pondered the future.

Over the course of one month, Naruto attended class at the Shinobi academy. From the first day he learned two important things. The first being that most of the so called "education" was utter garbage. Seriously, you're preparing children to face life or death situations, and somehow teaching about history for half the day was important?! Insanity. Second, was that every single person in the class suffered from a serious mental problem. Honestly, why would anyone bother to instruct these fools? Looking over the class, you could count the students who wouldn't one day snap and murder somebody on one hand. Of course, the somebody in question would be an unfortunate ally.

Looking over the class, Naruto counted off the "Problem students" as anyone with half a brain would put it.

Let's see; Fangirl, irrelevant background character, boy who i'm beginning to think is a werewolf, boy who never talks and wears a serial killer coat/shades combo, fangirl, another irrelevant person, i think that guys a fanboy, super quiet creepy girl with pale eyes who keeps watching me when she thinks i'm not looking, fangirl of the pink-haired shrieking banshee type, suuuuper lazy guy who even snores the word "troublesome", pudgy friend of the "troublesome" guy, some emo-looking kid who appears to own more hair care products than ALL his fangirls, about a dozen other's who have no skill whatsoever... Damn, those people are more likely to hit THEMSELVES with anything than an opponent! His scathing analysis finished, Naruto did the only thing he could.

Pray that he was teamed up with the fat kid and the slacker. Those two were the only ones he could be sure wouldn't end up killing him, or getting him killed.

The teacher interrupted Naruto's frantic prayers to announce the paper test portion of the Genin exam. It was a disturbingly stupid test, whoever thought book knowledge mattered in a fight had obviously never been in one. Naruto didn't even bother answering a single question.

The second test was on the three basic jutsu, which were surprisingly useful and surprisingly never used by senior ninja. Heh, maybe if Izumo and Kotetsu had made some illusionary clones before fighting they would have won. When his turn arrived, Naruto used the **Body Flicker Technique**, replacing himself with Iruka's headband, with Naruto appearing on top of the scarred Chunin's head. For the **Transformation**, he created a perfect copy of werewolf-boy's dog Akamaru. Finally Naruto reached his problem area... The **Clone **technique. When Naruto first started practicing, his clones always came out oddly formed or sickly looking. With a few pointers from his odd-smelling friend Yotoma, Naruto realized he was using massive amounts of chakra in forming the clones. But try as he might, he couldn't utilize such a miniscule amount of chakra with his massive reserves. Once again Yotoma had stepped in and helped, adding odd shaped characters to Naruto's fingers to forcibly limit the chakra pushed through Tenketsu. Each shape was on a fingertip, and was a pentagram with oddly blocky letters forming circular borders around them.

"Clone Technique." Naruto called out, pushing chakra through the seals. With a POOF the room filled with smoke, and almost a hundred illusion Naruto's filled the room.

"So what's next?" A hundred perfectly replicated Naruto's replied.

For the final parts of the practical exam, the students had to demonstrate weapons throwing proficiency, then participate in a spar. Naruto easily achieved top marks in throwing, as the ability to use wind chakra made missing almost impossible.

In the spar, the civilian born shinobi were swiftly and easily decimated by the basically insane clan shinobi. The one exception being the lazy guy. Other than him, the clan families were actually pretty impressive. Aside from the blonde bimbo. The lazy guy was pathetic, but Naruto had seen people like him in the southlands. People who lounged about because they expended their energy rapidly in combat, whether through speed, strength, or sheer thinking power. The lazy guy, Naruto could respect for that. After all, Ninja are SUPPOSED to hide their true capabilities! Not flaunt them for all to see like a certain hair-gel enthusiast emo. The girls name was Ino, and she was a big time fangirl for emo boy. Even coming from a clan, she had no real skill in anything at all. Disgraceful.

As fate would have it, Naruto ended up facing her in the next match. Being the bimbo she was, she shouted about "True love" or some such nonsense, and how she was going to beat him. Or something along those lines, Naruto droned out after her first three words. No use killing his brain trying to process anything out of that mouth.

The match ended in .762 seconds. An academy record. Naruto had a relaxed combat stance, with chakra steadily building in his feet before the match began. Thanks to some lessons with Takamashi, the sadistic camo wearing nut, Naruto was more than proficient in utilizing his lower body in combat. As a Ninja, this represented a huge advantage. Instead of punching he simply kicked and spun, freeing his hands to cast jutsu while fighting. But against Ino he didn't even need jutsu. The instructors announced the match begin, and Naruto vanished. Appearing in front of his airheaded opponent, he spun, kicking her feet out from under her. Before she could hit the ground, he stomped firmly on her abdomen, knocking the wind from her, and knocking her out in one fell swoop.

Sasuke smiled, and licked his lips. This boy was definitely powerful! If he could beat him, he would be one step closer to killing his brother.

Naruto was creeped the fuck out, he could feel hair-gel boy eyeballing him, and when the boy licked his lips Naruto could sense it. Needless to say it scared him. WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUCK, he has ten thousand fangirls and judging by that look on his face he's coming on to me! Why life, WHY?

Fortunately for Naruto, Sasuke was his final opponent. Sasuke had a big speech prepared about his victory, the superiority of the Uchiha clan, his brother, his life, his dreams, his aspirations, his bathing habits, his dietary beliefs, and many many many other expositionary things that Sasuke (Being a self-obsessed douche) flt everyone should know about him. Fortunately for all involved, Naruto interrupted him, "YO! Stop eyeballing me! I don't swing that way!" Comprehension escaped Sasuke for a moment, before he realized what Naruto meant, and rushed forward to show him who was the elite Ninja!

It was shown, very quickly, that Sasuke had no chance. Naruto blocked every punch, every kick, every move, using only his feet. The entire time his arms were folded across his chest. The fangirls waited with baited breath, as Sasuke became infuriated that Naruto was only toying with him. Breaking combat rules, he performed three handsigns, and shouted "**Fire Release: Great Fireball**". Leaning back, he held a folded finger in front of his mouth and readied his most destructive attack, completely oblivious to all the students who were in it's path.

Naruto was infuriated, not only that he would break combat rules, but that he would put innocent lives at risk just to feed his ego. Dashing forward with chakra enhanced steps, Naruto reached Sasuke just as he curled his lips to blow the fireball. Spinning, he sent a chakra enhanced foot smashing into Sasuke's jaw, shattering the jaw, cracking teeth, and trapping a VERY dangerous fire technique within it's casters mouth. The fire came, and blazed forth through sealed lips, scorching Sasuke's oral cavity. The fire's would have probably killed the boy, but Naruto was trying to make a good impression on the village. Rushing through hand seals, he cast the same basic technique he'd cast to show Sarutobi what he knew. "**WIND RELEASE: GALE CONTORTION!**" manipulating the fire chakra in the boys mouth the same way he'd manipulated that origami paper in Jiji's office the night he'd arrived, Naruto used wind to funnel it out of his mouth and into the air. Releasing the fire, he sighed as it fell apart in the air.

Immediately, Naruto stepped to the side, so that the instructors could treat the boy who burned himself. The fangirl brigade glared at the boy who harmed their hero, although all of the REAL shinobi were aware of the fact that Naruto had saved them from Sasuke's attack. Among these were Ino, Kiba, and shino.

Shino was impressed that the boy would go to such lengths to protect classmates. His bugs would have protected him of course, and he may have been able to dodge the attack in time, but his respect for the boy grew.

Kiba stared in shock at the classmate who had tried to use such a destructive move in a training environment. His clan was a clan that held loyalty above all else, and seeing someone go out of their way to protect the few who couldn't protect themselves marked him as one to keep a close eye on in the future.

Ino was... Confused. She knew full well that she couldn't have dodged that attack. She also knew that if it had hit her, it would have killed her. After the ease with which Naruto not only defeated her crush, but saved his life with some weird wind jutsu, Ino began to wonder if she had hooked her love to the wrong individual...

As Mizuki rushed off with Sasuke's unconscious body, Iruka gave the class their headbands. "Now class, you've passed, but tomorrow you will be assigned a Jonin-sensei, who will decide whether or not you deserve to become Genin. Meet back here at 12 sharp! Class dismissed." Then he body flickered away to check on his injured student.


	7. The Genin Test

"ALRIGHT CLASS! Listen up, these are the team lists. Now for sheer simplicity's sake, the teams have been arranged based on averages. We try and put one student into each team who specializes in one of three fields; ranged combat, mid-range combat/Genjutsu, and close quarters combat. Keep in mind, these only represent your potential for a field, not your current skill, as you are expected to grow and improve. (For instance, Team 9. Rock Lee is the CQC expert. Tenten, Long Range. Neji Hyuuga is a CQC expert as well, but his near perfect chakra control shows that he has high potential for Genjutsu, even though he refuses to learn non-clan techniques.)" Having finished his lecture, Iruka took out the squad list, and began listing off the squads. As he read through the squads, he couldn't help but think that absolutely none of these squads had a snowballs chance in hell at passing. It looked like every student with any talent or clan status was stuck in the last three teams! Except for Sakura of course. Why anyone thought she was ready for combat was a mystery.

Having read off all the teams which were guaranteed to fail, he got to the "Clan squads" which were guaranteed to decimate everything and everyone, as their members all came from prestigious and powerful clans. It was an unfair and elitist system which Iruka had tried to fight, but ultimately failed. Fortunately, the Hokage had made some alterations to the squad lists for teams 7, 8, and 10, after hearing the lists, and the reasonings for it as decided by the civilian council. Reworking the three teams, he arranged them in a manner which would allow all nine students to succeed to the best of their abilities.

"Team 7, under Hatake Kakashi. Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura Haruno. Kiba Inuzuka."

Originally Kiba had been in the same squad as Shino and Hinata. The logic being that putting the only three Ninja in the class with specialized tracking Kekkai Genkai on the same team was somehow intelligent. The hope was that Kiba's strong-headed attitude would inspire Sasuke to stop brooding. Of course, if Sasuke stopped brooding Sakura would emulate him to the best of her abilities, so if he started training seriously, so would she. Good in theory perhaps noted Iruka, but time would tell. For the time being though, Kiba was mocking Sasuke's wired-shut jaw, and the ugly pinkish scars that covered his face. What the entire hospital could accomplish in one day when working together was astonishing. But Sasuke would likely have scars for the rest of his life. The emo boy had been glaring daggers at a sleeping Naruto since class began.

"Team 8, under Kurenai Yuhi. Choji Akimichi. Ino Yamanaka. And Shino Aburame."

It was tough to tell with the coat, but as his food/diet obsessed teammates walked off with their instructor, Iruka swore he could see Shino crying. Poor guy. The logic there was that Shino's logical reasoning would bind the group together, and drive his slacker teammates to improve in Ninja fields.

"Team 9 is still in circulation so Team 10, under Asuma Sarutobi, will be Naruto Uzumaki-"

The blonde boy sat up when he heard his name, having slept through the rest of Iruka's talking.

"Shikamaru Nara and Hinata Hyuuga."

Naruto had already analyzed his teammates during combat yesterday, but he wondered who his Jonin instructor would be. Logically it should be Asuma, because the Hokage knew of Naruto's wind manipulation skills, and Asuma was the best wind master in the village. More importantly, there were only two teams worth of students still in the class. His new team, and a very unfortunate team with Sasuke on it.

Hinata was in her seat, blushing up a storm as she mentally cheered. Six and a half erotic fantasies later, Naruto tapped her on the shoulder to let her know Asuma was here to collect his team. She sat up with a start, realizing she wasn't currently in Hot spring country getting the ride of her life from Naruto. Sighing sadly, Hinata suddenly realized who had tapped her shoulder. When she looked into Naruto's sparkling blue eyes, fantasy world took over and she fainted with a mild nosebleed.

Shikamaru mumbled something about how troublesome it was to be troublesome, and headed towards Asuma. Naruto tried waking his pale-eyed teammate, then mumbled "To hell with it." And slung her arm over his shoulder.

Hinata awoke feeling that she had just had the oddest dream. In it, she was placed on Naruto's team, then she had... Fainted and... Sitting up, she looked around to find herself on the Academy rooftop, with Asuma waving smelling salts beneath her nose. To her left, Shikamaru longed against the railing around the rooftop, looking up at clouds. To her right, she saw Naruto... And promptly fainted.

This time with smelling salts taped beneath her nose, Hinata awoke. Unable to faint, she was forced to torturously endure it when she was assailed by fantasy after fantasy about her secret crush.

Watching his student burn with the brightest blush he'd ever seen, Asuma clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. Lighting a cigarette he puffed on it, then addressed his students. "Alright. Looks like i've got a promising group this time. Why don't you all tell me about yourselves. Dreams, ambitions, family, and whatever else you feel like sharing. You guys are a team now, meaning you'll basically be friends for life." Blowing a ring off smoke into the air, Asuma remembered his old team, and the memories they'd shared. "Let's see. You can go first." He said, pointing at Naruto, who was the most eager to begin.

"Hi! I'm Naruto. My last name is Uzimaki, but nobody ever called me that so don't bother. I like certain people, and of course my friends! I dislike those who attack the weak just to prove themselves, and those who treat war like a game. I love my family, and believe that a true friend is more important than any blood relation. Thats what makes up my family, the friends who care for me, like i care for them! I hope one day i can call all of you family too. My dream is to protect all the people i care about, and put an end to the weak being taken advantage of. After creating my clan of course!"

Nodding happily at the importance Naruto held in friendship, Asuma gestured for Shikamaru to speak.

"Sigh, troublesome... My name is Shikamaru Nara. I like cloud watching. I dislike troublesome things and those who cause them. I dream of one day either marrying an average girl, becoming an average shinobi, and living an average life, or discovering a cloud element."

Man this kid likes clouds, Asuma thought, just a little creeped out by the cloud obsession, before pointing to Hinata.

Blushing even redder, the shy girl stuttered her way through an introduction, which was 90% nosebleeds when she looked at Naruto and 10% her name and clan.

"Alright, good job team. Now, tomorrow we are going to have a test to determine if you are really Genin material. This will test you on a large number of factors, so be prepared. Thats all for today, get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast. You'll need the energy." Asuma left to visit with Kurenai, leaving his trio of Genin behind.

Instantly Naruto took command. "You two. We are going to work together from now on, and i'm going to pass this test. Both of you have a lot of work to do. Come with me." Kicking off the roof, Naruto sped off to the training ground, followed by an "excited and eager" Hinata, and a mildly curious Shikamaru.

Reaching the training grounds, Naruto faced his teammates. "Shikamaru, you're up first. Your clan technique is useful, and we need to work on combo moves that can combine our abilities. You come up with a good strategy involving my wind release and your shadow possession, and I'll help you manipulate clouds." To prove his point he used wind chakra to push down a cloud, the fluffy mass drifting around the team before falling apart.

"Hinata, you are going to get over this fainting thing. Then we... Are going to dance."

Hinata fainted again.

Team ten met at the same training field they'd practiced on before. The only difference was, this time Asuma was waiting for them. "Firstly, i'd like to say that i'm proud of you three for taking the chance to practice yesterday. Don't worry, i didn't hang around to watch your techniques, i can't wait to see what you three have come up with. I can tell you, you'll need everything you have, because you'll be fighting me. Good luck."

With a handsign chain, Asuma created two wind clones and each drew a pair of his trench knives. Impress me kids, was his last thought before moving towards them at high speeds.

"Shikamaru! Time to show off a dream!" Naruto called, as Shikamaru began an unknown handsign series. "**CLOUD STYLE: FIELD OF DREAMS!**" Immediately clouds began forming around the field, covering everyone's legs in a thick bank of fluff. The water served to slow the three Asuma's, as each rushed a student.

Asuma was disappointed when each student allowed themselves to be isolated from the others so easily. They were already showing poor teamwork, if this kept up he'd fail them all. That being said, Shikamaru's new jutsu impressed him, no Genin should be able to develop a technique that quickly. And such a perfect technique. Combined with the shadow possession, this jutsu locked everyone's feet to the floor.

The Asuma clone attacking Shikamaru put in a burst of speed and elbowed him in the chest before the boy could cast a shadow possession. Only for the elbow to be caught by Naruto, who dropped his Shikamaru transformation as Hinata cast the Shadow Possession and captured her opponent, while the transformed Hinata who was pretending to be Naruto caught her sensei with a Juken strike.

Leaping away from Hinata's trap, Asuma looked at all the promise his team showed and couldn't stop the smile. One of his clones was dispelled by shikamaru, while the one in contact with Naruto leapt back to regroup. As they did, the clone exploded, the explosive tag Naruto placed on it's shoulder detonating. But the paper bomb was a two part attack, when the flash bang attached to it detonated seconds later.

"Hit the deck!" Naruto called, and all three dove beneath the cloud bank. Asuma, thinking quickly, tried to do the same. Ducking under the clouds he prepared his counterattack.

"Checkmate." Came the voices of his three students.

What do they mean? He wondered, before passing out.

Dispelling the clouds, Naruto used a minor jutsu to force the wet air out of their sensei's lungs. Breathing easily again, Asuma woke up and looked at his students.

"I'm -cough- Proudd of all of you -cough- But how did that happen? I just... -cough cough- passed out? Never thought i'd loose against Genin."

Naruto high-fived Shikamaru, the slacker still excited from finally using a cloud jutsu in combat, even if it was cast by another person. "That easy sensei!" Naruto laughed, "All we did was look into your weaknesses. The most obvious one being your smoking habits. So before the match began, we each transformed into another of us. In doing so we lured the real you into combat with Hinata, knowing that only the most powerful one of you would fight me, correctly assuming i was the most dangerous. Then we used the trap to force you to go under the cloud bank, with the assumption that the flash bang hid an attack."

Blowing away the last wisp of the cloud bank, Naruto continued. "Do you know what smoking does to your lungs? Do you know what the adrenaline of combat does to your breathing? You breathe faster, and stop noticing how often you breathe due to your focus on combat. With your lungs damaged by the smoke, it became impossible for your lungs to function as they should when the moisture heavy clouds entered them. So without breathing, you passed out. And that explosive note was simply to mess with your hearing and therefore make you less likely to realize your difficulty breathing. As Ninja we train ourselves to ignore our bodies during combat, making an injury less likely to be debilitating. Unfortunately, this training made our plan all the more effective."

Asume was blown away by his students grasp of strategy. "Naruto... Not only do you all pass, but when the Chunin exams arrive in four months, you are going to be the youngest team ever recommended for them!" And probably the youngest to win as well! He added mentally.

Two months later and Team Ten was fed up and tired with missions. Every single one was awful and boring, simple team building exercises through shared hardship and such. Finally Asuma gave in and taught Naruto his wind clone technique, upon which Naruto created several dozen and set them to perform every D-rank mission in the leaf village. Working while the original slept, they finished everything in less than a week.

"Jiji-san! Time for a mission!" Naruto said with an evil gleam in his eye. Their team was ready for more than a D-rank, and without any D-ranks to give, the old man would HAVE to let them take a C.

A nod of assurance from Asuma, and Sarutobi's mind was made up. "Good timing Naruto. We've got a bridge builder in need of bodyguards to protect him from bandits. Team Ten can have it."


End file.
